Report (ROA): The Lebanese General Prosecutor sought the SIC assistance in order to identify and freeze bank accounts, transactions and any movable or immovable assets pertaining to individuals involved in acts of terrorism and terrorism financing. The suspects had carried out an attack that resulted in the killing of municipality guards, and investigations that followed this act uncovered a terrorist cell associated with ISIL that underwent military training and collected arms and ammunitions. Law Enforcement investigations also revealed that the cell was preparing to execute terrorist attacks on Lebanese soil, namely through simple and easy to perpetrate terrorist attacks, such as mass shootings in public places.

Analysis and Investigation: The SIC initiated its investigation by circulating the names of the suspects to all banks, financial institutions, and money remittance companies. Enquiries were also made to the vehicle register and to the real estate register. Findings revealed the presence of money remittance transactions in small amounts occurring within the country, in addition to a number of transactions with several jurisdictions. No bank accounts were identified, and a few vehicles and properties were depicted. Additional findings from parallel investigations carried
out by law enforcement and made available to the SIC revealed that the terrorist cell had also conducted several robberies to finance their activities.

Subsequent Measures: Spontaneous disclosures and requests of assistance were sent to concerned FIUs. The SIC also attached an encumbrance on the identified vehicles and properties and requested from all money remittance companies to refrain from executing any future transactions for the involved individuals. All findings were forwarded to the Lebanese General Prosecutor.

Report (STR): The AML/CFT compliance officer at a local bank, while reviewing cash transactions deposited in a customer’s account requested supporting documents from the said customer. The officer was provided with a real estate sales contract, from which he noticed that the deposited amount exceeded the figure mentioned in the sales contract. An STR was consequently filed with the SIC, for possible tax evasion.

Analysis and Investigation: The SIC initiated its investigation by analyzing the customer’s account activity and also circulated the names of both parties involved in the real estate transaction to all banks, financial institutions and money remittance companies operating in Lebanon in an attempt to identify if similar activity existed.

Subsequent Measures: The SIC decided to freeze and lift banking secrecy off related bank accounts and forward the findings to the General Prosecutor, who in turn decided to prosecute on tax evasion charges.

Report (STR): A local bank filed a suspicious transaction report with the SIC concerning a customer who instructed the bank to transfer an amount to his supplier in a European country. Following the execution of the transfer, the customer discovered that the e-mail of his supplier had been compromised and that the payment instructions he acted on originated from a hacker and not the supplier.
    
Analysis and Investigation: The SIC initiated its investigation by reviewing all bank records, documents and invoices submitted by the reporting bank and decided to contact a counterpart FIU seeking information on the bank account that received the transfer abroad. The information obtained from the counterpart FIU indicated that the beneficiary account receiving the transfer belonged to a company involved in fraudulent fund transfers. Three STRs had been previously filed with the counterpart FIU regarding similar wire transfers that were immediately transferred to a third beneficiary after being credited into its account.

Subsequent Measures: The SIC forwarded the findings to the General Prosecutor suggesting that the judicial police-cybercrime office also further investigate the matter, and also asked the counterpart FIU for additional information.